5 stars
Genre: YA fantasy
Pros:
- West African influence
- Modern-day parallel
- Refreshing boy-girl take
Cons:
- Reckless choices by a character
I loved the Children of Blood and Bone. The
world is set in such a vivid way, with accurate turmoil shown and interesting
types of people portrayed. (I also liked that Adeyemi tried to parallel modern
day dynamics in her fantasy world.)
Although there were changing perspectives because of the
frequent switching of narrators, most of the pacing was smooth. (A few
chapters, though, I wanted to dwell in one character’s head longer.)
I really admired the grit of the female characters,
particularly Amari, who rebelled against the restraints of the kingdom. I had a
little bit of a problem with Zelie because she seemed to throw herself (and get
stuck) in dangerous situations where other people had to come assist her.
I also liked the more nuanced relationship between Zelie and
the crown prince. It was refreshing (and surprising) to see it play out in a
different way.
My favorite parts of the novel involved the deep love shown
in Zelie’s family, the world steeped in West African culture, and the strong
female characters depicted.
A five-star read.
Find more of my book ratings and reviews here.
I recently heard an agent mention this book (Write On Con)– thanks for this review, I was curious about it.
Glad you checked out my review then!